Gary Sales, playing for underdog Eastridge, just dropped his previous match in the tight Federation League final against Orchard.

Yet lo and behold, team captain Thirdy Escaño stuck with him to play the sudden-death playoff hole.

"I don't play as often as I would like. Sometimes I just play when I have clients," Sales told Tribune Golf.

"Otherwise, I just play when there are tournaments. Like this Federation League."

Little did he know that playing in the recent edition of the tournament would once again put him in the spotlight and underscore his ability in the sport that he loved.

Escaño's battle plan — with Sales as the top gun — paid off handsomely.

"It was not easy. Me and my team of strategists changed lineup maybe at least 10 times," said Escaño, who admitted to finalizing his lineup only over breakfast the day of the championship.

"I'm just glad I read their fielding right. But more than anything else I have always imparted in my team for as long as we work as one, we can make things happen. And it did."

He showed that much confidence in Sales. And why not?

In the face of a big challenge the guy has shown an even bigger heart — in both golf and life in general.

He rose from being a tee-boy at Villamor driving range to become its club champion and eventually a pro.

But when things didn't work out in the circuit. Sales took a step backward, reverted to amateur and instead focused on business.

He put up a string of successful pro shops inside Villamor, Kagitingan, Eagle Ridge, Valley and Camp Aguinaldo golf clubs named Pin High.

Recently he opened a spa and car wash. Sales manages them through the help of his wife Marienelle with whom he shared four sons namely Harry, Morgan, Prince Gary, and Grayson.